Of All People
by SlytherinAtHeart18
Summary: Hermione Granger learns that she is a witch and sets off to Hogwarts. Before meeting a young blonde boy who will destroy her life. Will she be able to get through it all?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my very first attempt at a fanfic. I do love Dramione. Please review! I already have a couple of chapters written and I would like some sort of feedback before I start posting new chapters! Happy reading loves! -Brooklyn**

**Chapter 1**

A young girl of 10 sat at a desk in a small bedroom with purple walls and all white furniture. Books were strewn across the desk and the girl was furiously turning pages in search of some tiny clue of what would explain this letter. A letter had arrived that morning at her window, which was curious because she didn't know why the mailman didn't just put it in her mailbox like all of the other mail. The letter was quite thick and she did not recognize the return address. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What kind of name is Hogwarts for a school? It sounds disgusting. Witchcraft? Wizardry? There is no such thing. There are many books about witches and wizards, but of course all of them weren't real. Surely they couldn't be.

The girl looked through every encyclopedia she found in the library down the street from her house. None of them had mentioned a place called Hogwarts. She even looked them up in the phonebook. There was no listing. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Hermione? Sweetie? The tea is ready and your father just got home. Are you going to join us?" A small melodic voice came from the other side of the door. Hermione slammed the last encyclopedia shut out of frustration. "Coming mum." She heard the soft footsteps retreat down the stairs. She had been wondering all day whether she should tell her parents about this strange letter.

She picked up the letter off of her desk and quickly ran downstairs. "Hello dad. Did you have a good day at work?" She greeted him with a smile. "Yes dear, I did actually. Even though that Fennwick brat had to come in for a cavity filling. I'll be damned if I don't have scarring on my fingers for the rest of my life because of that kid. I had to get 10 stitches! That's why I'm so late." He held up his right hand showing off many cuts in the shape of teeth marks and the stitches that were on his index finger. Hermione shuddered at the mere sight of them. "I heard that you have been hiding in your room all day pouring over encyclopedias. What's got you so interested this time?" Hermione stuck her hand in her back pocket where she had stashed the letter. "Well, not so much interested as confused." She started to explain. "I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but this is true. I woke up this morning to what sounded like rocks hitting my window." Her mother brought the tea to the table and offered her daughter a cup. She sat in a chair across from her mother and continued her story.

"It wasn't rocks at all mum. It was an owl." Both of her parents stopped what they were doing. Her father sat down the newspaper and exchanged glances with his wife for they knew what was to come next. "The owl had a letter from a place called Hogwarts. I had never heard of it so I went to the library and checked out every encyclopedia they would let me. I've been looking through them all day and haven't found one single mention of Hogwarts. The letter says it's a school for witchcraft and wizardry, but there's no such thing. Right dad?" She pulled the letter out of her back pocket and placed it on the table.

Hermione Granger was young, but she had been obsessed with reading ever since she was 2 years old. She often left the house and walked to the library one block over and came home with piles of books. It was not out of the ordinary and her mother had not asked her why she had went that morning. Her father picked up the letter and read over it. Her mother did not bother. "Honey. We always thought this day might come and now there is something that I guess we need to tell you."

The young girl looked at her mother in disbelief. Surely there wasn't a real place called Hogwarts. They sent the letter somehow as a joke. Yes, that's it. The letter is a joke. She smiled to herself. How silly am I to think this was real. Her mother had a serious look on her face. "This school is real, but you won't find it in any encyclopedia at the library. Nor anywhere else around here for that matter." She added quickly seeing the gears turning in her daughter's head. Hermione quickly began to think of the bookstore two blocks away and thought she would check there. Her mother quickly thwarted that idea.

"My mother was a witch. Yes your grandmother was a sorceress. A great one in fact. I always thought that when I was about to turn 11 I would receive my letter to Hogwarts letter, but that day came and went. I thought my mother would be disappointed that I didn't have the same abilities that she did. I was so upset to go back to my primary school, but my mother never showed any negative feelings towards me. We were a family of Purebloods and every single person in my heritage attended Hogwarts." Hermione could hardly believe her ears. This isn't a joke? I'm a witch? Why has no one mentioned this before?

"I'm so proud of you sweetheart. You're going to Hogwarts on September 1. I will also take you to Diagon Alley to help you get all of your supplies. Oh sweetie! I'm so happy!" She said as tears of joy started to form in her eyes. Her father stayed silent and smiled. He knew about his wife's family and how disappointed her other relatives were that she didn't marry a Pureblood. The only person who still associated with her and her spouse was her mother. She loved them both just as much as if she had married a Pureblood. He was proud that his daughter had received her letter. He knew how happy it would make his wife to have a daughter who was a witch.

Hermione was suddenly excited. "When can we go to this.. this.. um. What did you call the place where I can get my school supplies again?" "Diagon Alley." "YES! Diagon Alley. When can we go? Today? Tomorrow morning?" She was excited to begin a new life. "Is there a bookstore? I want to go there first thing. I need to learn all about Hogwarts before I even step foot onto the campus!" She continued talking a million miles an hour before her mother stopped her. "I can't go tomorrow sweetie. I have to work and so does your father." The smile left the girl's face and tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. "But mum! Can't you take a day off? I need to start learning as fast as I can. I'll probably be behind the rest of the students. They probably already know everything there is to know about Hogwarts. I don't want to get made fun of because I don't know anything. Please mum. PLEASE?" She cried and yelled.

Her mother looked at her with the utmost empathy. "I'm sorry babygirl. Today was my day off. I won't have another one for at least a week. Maybe next weekend?" Hermione's tears did not stop. "Mum. Please. I can't go to another school where I get made fun of for being different. Please take me to Diagon Alley!" She pleaded again. Her mother stayed firm in the fact that she had to work. Hermione then ran up the stairs to her room leaving her tea cup untouched.

"If they won't take me to Diagon Alley then I'll find out how to get there myself." She said to herself after she had time to get all of her tears out. "MUM! DAD!" She yelled and heard her parents come running from their bedrooms where they had been reading before they went to bed. "What Hermione? Are you ok?" Her father asked sitting down next to her on her bed. "Oh I'm alright. I just wanted to apologize for throwing a fit earlier. I shouldn't have done that. Can you tell me more about Diagon Alley?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course I can dear." Her mother replied. Since her father had no knowledge on the subject he retreated to his room and continued to read. "What do you want to know?" She asked the young girl. "Where is it?" "It's in a place where no muggle can see it. Myself included. I have no magic in my veins so I don't know exactly where it is, but my mum told me all about it when I was a little girl." She smiled at her daughter's eager eyes. She always loved to learn about anything and everything. "The entrance is about two blocks away next to that bookstore you love so much. Right next to it is The Leaky Cauldron, which is a wizard's pub. Through the back door there is the entrance to Diagon Alley. They have so many stores where you can buy wands, robes, candy, owls, Quidditch supplies and anything you can imagine you would need in the wizarding world." Hermione was suddenly confused. "What is Quidditch?" Her mother laughed. "All in good time dear. Quidditch is a wizard sport. I've heard it's wicked fun, but I wouldn't know personally." Hermione yawned. "Mum. I'm tired now. Today was a long day. Would you mind if I went to bed and we can talk more about this tomorrow evening over tea? This is all terribly fascinating, but it's a lot to take in for one day." Her mother kissed her softly on the forehead. "Of course my dear. Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite." Her mother turned off the light and closed the door as Hermione curled up underneath the covers. Little did her mother know. Hermione had a plan to get to Diagon Alley and discover for herself all the wonders that this new world held in store for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hermione woke up the next morning to an empty house. She went downstairs and fixed a breakfast of eggs and grits and got a glass of orange juice. She was so excited she practically inhaled her breakfast and hurried upstairs to get dressed. She didn't know what to do with her big bushy hair so she put it up in a bun. She picked out a bright blue tank top complimenting her chocolate brown eyes, a pair of her favorite white shorts and blue flip flops to match her shirt. She looked in the mirror satisfied with her outfit and hoped that she wouldn't look too out of place in Diagon Alley.

Before leaving she grabbed her Hogwarts letter that included a list of everything she would need for this school year. She made her way to the bookstore two blocks away. Once she got there she noticed a building that she hadn't seen before. The sign hung on the front door and said "The Leaky Cauldron." She ran inside and flew to the back of the pub. She went through a door that said "to Diagon Alley" and stopped abruptly when she realized that this room just looked like a storage closet. But this has to be it. Where is Diagon Alley? She sat down and began to cry. This was miserable. She was so excited to see this new place and now she couldn't even get there. Maybe there was a mistake. Maybe she wasn't a witch. The letter lied. She sat there and cried for what seemed like hours when in reality it was five minutes. Suddenly the bricks on the wall started moving. She screamed and jumped up from where she was sitting.

Soon all the bricks stopped moving and revealed a busy street with lots of buildings. She wiped her eyes and tried to stop crying. This was it! She thought. Diagon Alley! She was so fascinated by the new scenery that she didn't even see there was a boy in front of her and she took a few steps forward running right into him. "Oh my! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there. Are you ok?" She asked worriedly seeing that she had knocked him down. She offered a hand to help pull him up. "I'm fine." Said the boy as he reached for her hand and stood to his feet.

This boy was like no one Hermione had ever seen before. He was young probably about her age. He had platinum blonde hair that was slicked back and these beautiful silvery blue eyes. But this was not what caught Hermione's eye first. He was wearing long black robes with emerald green embroidery around the neck. "You're dressed weird." She said not thinking that it might offend him. "As a matter of fact I'm not. You're dressed quite odd yourself." He said not missing a beat. She looked behind the boy and saw the street full of wizards dressed in similar clothing. She definitely would not fit in. "Oh dear. I tried so hard to dress normal and look at this. I still stick out like a sore thumb." She said as she began to cry again. The boy looked at her not sure what to do. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry! Please stop. I'm so sorry, - Er. I don't know your name." He said. "Hermione." She choked out. "I'm so sorry Hermione. Please don't cry."

She wiped her eyes and tried to regain her composure. "I'm Draco." He said. "Won't you let me buy you an ice cream? I feel terrible about making you cry." She agreed and he told her to walk with him to the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley. Hermione looked around in amazement. How could there be this whole street that no one could see. It was beautiful. "So this is Diagon Alley." She said softly. "What Hermione?" "Oh, I just said so this is Diagon Alley. It's wonderful!" She said excitedly. Draco looked at her. "Are you a muggle?" "A what?" She asked curiously not sure whether or not to be offended. "A muggle. It's what we call non-magic folk. Or are you a witch?" He asked.

"Oh I'm witch. I just received my Hogwarts letter yesterday." She said proudly pulling her letter out of her pocket. "I wanted to come to Diagon Alley to get school supplies and read up on Hogwarts. Is there a bookstore here?" She asked excited. "Yes there is. It's just down that way on the right. If you're a witch then how come you've never been to Diagon Alley?" "Well, my whole family is full of witches and wizards, but my parents-" She trailed off. She didn't know if she should tell him that her parents were what he called muggles. "My parents thought it would be good to grow up outside of the wizarding world. I only just found out I was a witch yesterday."

He pointed to a small shop on the left. "That's the ice cream shop." He held the door open for her and they walked in and sat down at a table. A young witch came and took their orders then left the two kids to talk. "So what is Hogwarts like? Is it pretty? Are there lots of things to do? What about the classes? Are they hard? I bet they will be considering I know less than everyone else about magic." Draco smiled at her. "I don't know. My father went there. He hated it. Too many mudbloods in his opinion. I'm not too excited about it. My family is Pureblood. We would never dream of marrying anyone less." He said proudly.

Hermione didn't say anything to this. The waitress brought them their ice cream and they ate in silence for awhile. Draco finished his first. "So you're here to buy all of your school supplies? Would you like some help? I've been here plenty of time and I bought my school supplies months ago." Hermione didn't know what to say. "Well, I could use a guide, but I don't have any money. My parents don't know that I'm here so I couldn't very well ask them for that much money. I only have a few pounds." Draco raised his eyebrows. "Pounds? We don't use pounds in the wizarding world." Hermione's heart dropped. "Oh, well then I guess I won't be getting everything I need today then will I." Draco thought for a minute and then said, "Yes you will. I'll take care of you." She looked at him confused. "But where will you get the money from?" "My parents are rich! I can buy your school supplies for you. It's the least I could do. I still feel awful for making you cry." He said.

Hermione never knew someone could be so nice or for someone so young to have that much money. "That's very sweet of you Draco, but you don't have to do that for me." He smiled. "I know I don't have to, but I want to. Father will never miss the money. It can't cost more than a few Galleons to get everything." Galleons. Curious name for currency. Hermione thought to herself. She finished her ice cream and Draco paid the waitress with some small coins of different colors. There were bronze and silver coins, but he slipped the gold ones back in his pocket. "Well, off we go then right?" He asked holding out his arm for her. She wrapped her arm around his and they left the ice cream shop. She already had a friend in the wizarding world! That was more than she could say for her old school. She couldn't be more excited to get away from that place. The sooner September 1 came the better. There were only 2 more weeks left anyways.

Draco didn't seem to need the list to see what all she needed. He had bought his back in June when he received his letter. They went to several different stores to get cauldrons, robes, a starter set for potions, and the thing Hermione was most excited for: a wand. They walked in the doors of Ollivander's and she saw an older man with white crazy hair who seemed to appear out of nowhere. He greeted them and then looked at them both. "Welcome back Mr. Malfoy. Who is your friend here?" Hermione wondered how they were already acquainted. "This is Hermione. She's going to be in the same year as me!" He said smiling. "She needs a want though. I already have mine as you know." Ollivander held out his hand to Hermione. "Hello Hermione. Are you excited about going to Hogwarts? Of course you are. It's a great school." She shook his hand and then asked. "I am indeed excited. I'm curious. How do I get a wand?" He ran back behind the counter and went down what seemed an endless row of boxes. He came back with two or three in hand. "The wand chooses the wizard Miss- what is your last name?" "Granger." She replied. "Ah yes. Miss Granger. You will simply take the wand and give it a wave. You'll know from there whether or not the wand has chosen you." He opened up the first box and handed her a 12 inch mahogany wand that contained a single unicorn tail hair. She waved it around and the papers strewn on his desk flew up in the air.

"Hm. This isn't it." He said and handed her another wand. "Let's see about this one." She waved it around again and the vase of flowers by the window fell to the ground and shattered. "Oh! Mr. Ollivander I'm so sorry. I keep ruining things in your shop." Hermione said near tears again. "Hermione calm down. This happens to everyone. Almost no gets their wand on the first try. I blasted out all the windows in this place before I found my wand." Draco assured her putting his arm around her to help comfort her. Ollivander came back with another wand. This one was 15 inches and contained a dragon scale and the single tear of a phoenix. Hermione waved it around and a soft golden glow appeared around her and nothing bad happened this time. "I believe Miss Granger you have found your new wand." Ollivander smiled at her and told her that it would be 60 Galleons. Draco immediately reached into his pocket and counted it out. That was more than what he had paid for his wand, but he wanted to help his new friend out.

They left the wand shop and Hermione had forgotten all about the time. "Oh my goodness!" She said as she looked at her watch. "My parents will be home from work soon and they don't know I'm here." Draco frowned. He didn't want to leave his new friend so soon. "Well I have one more stop that I'd like to make. Then I can take you home since you won't be able to carry all this on your own" She nodded and Draco led her to Eeylop's Owl Emporium. She walked in and could not believe how many owls there were of so many different sizes and colors. Draco looked around carefully at each owl before stopping at a medium sized gray owl with what seemed to be pale green eyes. He knew in an instant this was what he had come for. He bought the owl and as they left he told Hermione that it was hers. "I bought this for you, but on one condition." He paused. "You have to write to me from now until we leave for school. I'll write to you too." Hermione felt tears fill her eyes again, but this was because she was happy. "Yes of course Draco!" She threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled back and her cheeks went slightly pink, embarrassed about how forward she had been. To her surprise Draco was still smiling and his cheeks too had turned a light shade of red.

They walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron and made their way towards Hermione's house. For once Hermione was the one who knew where she was going and Draco followed closely behind her. They received a few strange looks from passing adults. They didn't realize how weird it was that two young kids were walking around with cauldrons, owls and piles of parchment and quills. They reached Hermione's house and Draco helped her organize the things neatly in her room. She thanked him and gave him another hug. "My parents will be so mad at me for going off on my own, but I'm so glad that I did." He hugged her back and then looked at her with a new look. Not one he had needed all day. This look was of fear. "Your parents won't hurt you will they?" He was worried for his new friend. "No never! They will just scold me and tell me they are disappointed in me. They might take away my books for awhile, but they would never hurt me." She wondered why he asked such a question. Is that normal in the wizard world? If a child had been bad would their parents use magic on them to hurt them? If so that was just terrible! She didn't want to pry into Draco's life so she didn't ask just yet.

She said her goodbyes to Draco and as he was about to close the door she yelled, "WAIT!" Draco stopped. "What is your address? If I'm going to send you letters then I need to know your address." Draco laughed and told her, "You don't need one. Just write my name on the letter. Draco Malfoy. Your owl will make sure it gets to me." Hermione was excited. "Thanks again Draco for everything! I can't wait til we see each other again!" Hermione shut the door and ran to her room. She looked at all the things she had gotten that day and she never wanted to forget it.

Draco walked back to the Leaky Cauldron. He took his time because he was in no hurry to get home. He hoped that his father wasn't home yet. He was afraid of what he would say after he just ran off that morning. But then again he was glad he had left. If not he would have never made this new friend. She was sweet, kind and compassionate. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew that he had too or else his father's wrath would be ten times worse.

Hermione was just going downstairs to make afternoon tea for her parents because they would be home soon. As she got to the kitchen she heard a car door slam shut and keys jingling to unlock the door. She continued to make tea as if nothing had happened that day and hoped for the best when her parents saw all of the things in her room.

**A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! I would really appreciate some reviews on my story thus far. I've only gotten one so far. ): I am still working on chapter three. I don't want to upload it until I get more reviews. (: Love you all! 3 -Brooklyn**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Hermione and Ron do not belong together. At all. Therefore, this is proof enough to say that I do not own the right to Harry Potter. All characters/places belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot is mine.**

**Chapter 3**

"HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER! You get your arse in here now!" Her father yelled. He had gone into her room while she was in the bathroom brushing her teeth getting ready for bed. Hermione knew she was in big trouble. She walked timidly to her bedroom unsure of what was about to happen. She looked at her Dad's face and saw the obvious anger and disappointment. Hermione's mother heard the yelling and ran to her daughter's room. "Oh my god." She whispered. "You have some serious explaining to do Hermione Jean." She said sternly.

"Well mum. I really wanted to go to Diagon Alley. I was so excited about Hogwarts I really wanted to do some research on it. While I was there I met a boy my age who told me all about Hogwarts and it sounds so fasc-" Her father's glare made her stop. "How on earth did you get the money to buy all of this stuff?" He asked. "Well you see, when I got there I met this boy. I was upset because I couldn't figure out how to get to Diagon Alley. He opened up the wall and I ran into him. I was so upset I started to cry and he felt bad so we went for ice cream and he bought me all of this."

By this time Hermione was crying again. She continued to explain all of the things that Draco got her. By the end she could barely even speak through all the tears. She threw herself onto the bed and continued with her fit of tears. "Hermione, I can't even explain how disappointed we are in you. So now you know that this is going to have some serious repercussions." Hermione looked up at her father. "We're taking away your books for a week." Her mother chimed in. She threw her face back into the pillow and knew she would just die without her books for an entire week. On the other hand, she knew that she deserved it. Instead of arguing or fighting back like most 10 year olds would have done she just grumbled into her pillow and said, "Yes mummy. I'm going to bed now. I love you both."

Hermione was devastated. She only had 2 weeks to learn as much about Hogwarts as possible and now one of those weeks would be wasted. She accepted her punishment because she knew she deserved it for going behind her parents back, but still for her it was going to be hell. She got under the covers of her bed and tried hard to fall asleep. It seemed like it took hours when really it was a matter of minutes before she was fast asleep. The next morning came way too soon. She woke up at 9:30 as she did every morning. Her parents had left for work long ago. When Hermione rubbed her eyes and looked around her room she saw that her bookshelves were empty. Tears immediately flooded her eyes. This has to be a nightmare. She thought to herself. Pinching her arm she realized that she was certainly awake. Finally she dragged herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

When she trudged back into her what seemed empty room she realized that there was still a glimmer of hope. Her owl was perched on a stand inside the cage and her parchment and quill were still on her desk. Immediately she flew across the room and sat down in her chair and began to write.

_Dear Draco,_

_ Thank you so much for your help yesterday! You were very sweet to do all of this for me. I can't believe we'll be heading to Hogwarts in a mere 13 days away. I've read many Muggle books about witches and wizards, but I have no idea what Hogwarts will really be like. Who knows? Maybe we'll be in the same house and we'll be able to spend loads of time together. How grand would that be?_

_ Now for the terrible news. My mum and dad found out about my little adventure yesterday and they've grounded me for a week from all of my books. I nearly cried. I was looking forward to reading up on Hogwarts. That book you suggested that I get sounds fascinating. I believe it was called Hogwarts: A History. Too bad I'll have to wait. Luckily my parents did not remove my parchment and quill from my room. Oh and my owl. I've decided to name him Dragon, in honor of my new wizard friend. Please write back soon. I'm going to be terribly miserable and bored for the next week and could use someone to talk to!_

_Your new friend,_

_Hermione Granger_

She sealed the letter and gave it to her owl Dragon to deliver and the second she opened her bedroom window he was off. She did hope that he replied quickly for her own sanity's sake. She walked back over to her bed to lie down for a bit until she figured out what to do without her books. On her journey over she stumbled and nearly fell onto her bed. "OW!" She yelled rubbing her foot, there were many sharp pains shooting through it. Once she had regained her composure she looked to see what had caused her so much pain. Her cauldron was sitting in the floor beside her bed. She picked it up to move it so she wouldn't trip over it again and almost dropped it out of pure shock. Inside the cauldron sat a book. Not just any book though, Hogwarts: A History was shining in gold letters on the cover. She quickly grabbed the book and left the cauldron sitting where it was before.

Plopping down on her bed she opened it to chapter one, page one. She read all day stopping briefly to go downstairs and make lunch. She practically inhaled her meal in anticipation of the one book she had left upstairs. There was so much to learn. She had already read about all four houses: Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. She felt in some ways she could belong to any of the four houses. She knew Draco's family had all been in Slytherin and it was almost certain that that's where he would be too. She wondered if she could possibly get in there too. From the looks of it you had to be a pureblood to get in, maybe not in all cases, but that's how it seemed. She rushed back upstairs to finish the rest of the book, hopefully before her parents got home. She didn't want them to think that she had snooped around and stolen a book.

Before long the sun outside Hermione's window started to set and she knew that her parents would be home soon. She finished reading the very last page of the book and shut it. Oh, but what am I going to do with it? I can't let my parents see it or they'll think I was snooping. Hm. Hermione couldn't figure out what to do. Finally she jumped up and slid the book in-between the mattress and box springs. There. Now no one could see it and only find it if they knew where it was. She walked out of her bedroom and downstairs to make afternoon tea. No sooner than the water started to boil she heard two car doors shut. She grabbed three teacups from the cupboard and set them on a tray on the counter.

"HERMIONE! We're home!" She heard her mother's song-like voice coming through the house. "I'm in the kitchen, mum!" She called back, in what she considered a slightly less melodic voice. She placed the teapot on the tray and her mom carried the tray into the sitting room and placed it on the coffee table. "How was work today?" She asked both of her parents. She hoped that if she got them going about their day she'd have time to think up something that she did all day besides read. "It was quite good. Pretty calm for once if you ask me. There weren't a lot of yelling screaming kids for once." Her mum giggled at her husband's comment. "Sounds like a good one to me then." Hermione agreed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as all three Grangers drank their tea, but Hermione knew that it wouldn't last too long. "So sweetie, how was your day? Was it hard not having any of your books?" Her father asked. Hermione took a deep breath. "Actually, I was feeling a bit under the weather today. I stayed in bed most of the day. I tried to nap, but I just kept tossing and turning. It was dreadful. But I started feeling better in the afternoon so I was able to get up and move around a bit." Hermione blurted out. She hoped that her parents didn't notice the unsteadiness in her voice. She hated lying to her parents, but she knew how disappointed they would be they found out that she still had a book in her room.

The rest of the evening went relatively smooth. Her parents hadn't suspected a thing. In fact, they showed a lot of concern at the fact that she had been feeling ill. Her father offered to take a day off and stay home with her, but Hermione finally convinced them that she was fine and perfectly able to take care of herself. Shortly after tea, Hermione's mother made her way to the kitchen and began to cook dinner. She ended up making one of Hermione's favorite meals, fettuccini alfredo with broccoli. It was absolutely delicious. "Mum, I'm going to miss your cooking when I go off to Hogwarts. I hope I'll get to come home soon for a visit." Her parents exchanged a look and Hermione caught a glimpse of sadness in both of her parents' eyes. "We hope so too dear." Her father finally managed to utter. They finished dinner in an odd sort of silence. Hermione promptly went upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed.

As the small girl began to get settled into her bed there was a quiet, but audible tapping noise at her window…

**A/N: What did you think of this chapter? I apologize that it took me almost a week to write it. I've been terribly busy at home. I know this one is quite short, but I need to get them to Hogwarts soon. The next chapter might be the last one before I send them off. Reviews would be much appreciated. I'd like to have a total of 10 reviews before I post the next chapter. I'm halfway there already guys. I thank you all for your love and support! -Brooklyn 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hermione crawled out of bed and went over to her window. Dragon was back with a letter in his beak. She opened the window enough to let her owl inside and he flew over to her desk to drop the letter. Hermione gave him a few owl treats and he perched on her arm as she neared the cage. He jumped inside and she closed the door. She turned to look at the letter that the gray owl had left on her desk. Picking it up she saw in emerald green ink the front of the envelope. "To: Hermione Granger. With love from, Draco Malfoy." Hermione read aloud. Her smile was so big at this point it possibly could have reached both of her ears. A yawn came next. However badly she wanted to read the letter, she could hardly hold her eyes open. She resolved to read it in the morning when she woke up and for the second time that night Hermione crawled into bed and snuggled down into the covers. Before she knew it she was asleep and had a dream about the different houses at Hogwarts. She dreamt that all of her professors were nice and wise and willing to help any student in need. She dreamt that nothing bad ever happened and everyone got along. There was no war, arguing, nor prejudice, just friends. No, more than friends, family. Hogwarts was just one huge family of witches and wizards.

Hermione woke with a start. The smile that had been placed on her face through the night because of her dream was still there. She felt as if there was something important that she had to do today, but what was it? Her mind was pulling up blanks. Until suddenly she remembered the letter she had received the night before when she was half asleep. Quickly jumping out of bed Hermione pulled open the drawer of her nightstand and carefully ripped open the envelope with emerald ink lettering.

_Dear Hermione,_

_My greatest wish at this point is for us to be in the same house. Yesterday was so much fun and I'm so glad that we met. I believe that we could become great friends; that is as long as we both get sorted into Slytherin. My father certainly would not allow me to be friends with anyone other than a Slytherin. Be on your guard, dear Hermione, Slytheri's are the only people in that whole school worthy of having your back. You don't want to get on their bad side._

_But I don't wish to continue on this subject any longer. I do look forward to getting to know you. I am greatly honored that you have decided to name your owl Dragon. The name seems fitting and now wherever you go you'll always have a reminder of me. I will try to write you as much as I can these next couple weeks before we both head off to Hogwarts. I know how bored I would be if my father grounded me from our library here at the manor. I can promise you that I will write you a letter everyday from now until we meet again on Platform 9 and ¾. I would love to see you before then. After your parents have lifted your punishments maybe we could meet up in Diagon Alley again for ice cream. That would be quite lovely. I don't want to wait until September 1__st__ to see you again. _

_I wish I could help you out and send you a few books from the library in the manor, but father would know if the books left the property and I would be in a great deal of trouble. I apologize. I wish I could help you. I'm sorry to cut this letter short, but I can hear my father calling me. He has made get an early start on my classes for this year. He simply will not accept it if I'm any less than top of our year. I don't see what the big deal is really, but that's Father for you. Hope to hear back from you soon._

_Yours truly,_

_Draco Malfoy (Dragon)_

Hermione was ecstatic that she had met such a good new friend. It almost made her punishment of no books for a week worth it. If she hadn't snuck out to Diagon Alley then she never would have ran into Draco and she wouldn't have any of her school supplies. He was a good friend. She reminded herself that it was going to be a long day with no books so she resisted the urge to immediately pen a letter back to him. She would wait until later in the day when she grew bored of other things. As Hermione started to leave her room she noticed something unusual. Looking into her school cauldron she noticed another textbook that Draco had bought her in Diagon Alley. The book that had previously sat there was Hogwarts: A History, but this new one had a different title, The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk.

Hermione's jaw dropped. She now knew there was such thing as magic, but how had she caused this to happen. Yesterday she just thought it was a happy accident that she found the other book in her cauldron, but this she now knew was no accident. Something was going on. Instead of dwelling on this confusion she grabbed the book and jumped back in bed and started reading. She pulled out her wand and practiced a few of the more simple spells. To her surprise most of them worked on the first try. Maybe she won't be as bad of a witch as she thought. After a few more hours of reading she thought shut the book. Obviously her parents would catch on if she hadn't done anything around the house all day so she began to tidy up her room. She reorganized her school things and changed the sheets on her bed. She started a load of laundry and then went down to the living room and began to clean up in there.

Her mind was racing with so many different thoughts. Would her parents actually let her go to Diagon Alley again to meet up with Draco? Would her parents get mad if they found out about the books that kept magically appearing in her room in the mornings? What would Hogwarts really be like? Sure the book she read the day before had given her a lot of information, but it couldn't tell her what the other kids that attended there would be like. Would they accept her? Would they make fun of her hair? Or her teeth? Or the way she dressed on days that they didn't have to be in uniform? Would the fact that neither of her parents were wizards have any affect on the way people treated her even though everyone else in her family had been? Was anyone just as nervous as she was to be away from their parents for so long?

Thoughts kept coming into her mind as she continued to clean. Before she knew it the whole house was spotless. Surely her parents would be pleased with the work that she had done. She had vacuumed every room and mopped the bathrooms and kitchen. The only room left untouched was her parents' room. She looked around for more things to do, but realized that there was nothing. Excitedly she ran up to her room and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment. So many things she wanted to say.

_Dear Draco,_

_Why won't your father let you be friends with anyone not in Slytherin? That seems silly, but if that's the case I'll do whatever it takes to get into Slytherin. I don't want to lose my first friend in the wizarding world. You've been nothing but nice to me these past few days._

_I will talk to my parents tonight and I'll owl you as soon as I find out when we can meet up in Diagon Alley. They don't work on the weekends so that would probably be a good time for them and it will get me out of the house to maybe help me forget that I don't have any books to read. Oh, which reminds me. How do you explain books appearing in my room in the morning when I wake up? My parents took all of my books out of my room, but the past two mornings I've found one of my schoolbooks in my cauldron. Silly question probably, it's magic. But I haven't performed any spells yet and I wouldn't know how to summon a book._

_Enough about all that boring stuff. Life here without a lot of books is just plain pointless. I can't wait to see you. I'll have an answer for you by tomorrow morning at the latest. _

_Yours truly,_

_Hermione Granger_

Hermione sealed the letter in an envelope and addressed it to her newest friend. Dragon took the letter happily after Hermione gave him a couple of treats and took off into the sky. She couldn't wait until her parents got home so she could ask them about meeting Draco in Diagon Alley. Maybe her parents would meet him and they would feel at ease about her going off to Hogwarts. They would know that she already had a friend who cared about her and would help her throughout her days there. She knew her parents were nervous about her being gone for so long. Hell, she was nervous. She was only 10 years old and now she wouldn't be able to see her parents for months on end. What child wouldn't be nervous about that? She was headed to a world she knew nothing about, only what she learned from books. Truth be told she was more than nervous; she was terrified.

Calm down, Granger. She told herself. Everything would be ok. She had Draco to help her through everything and throughout the next 7 years at Hogwarts she would surely make more friends and be able to fit in amongst her peers. She decided that it would be safe to relax and read more of The Standard Book of Spells and maybe practice a few of the spells that hadn't worked for her before. She must have overlooked something: a mispronunciation, the wrong wand movement or even simply overlooked an important sentence. After another hour she heard her parents arrive home from work and their voices carried up the stairs and into her room. Hermione jumped up and put the book back into her cauldron moving it out of plain sight so her parents wouldn't accidentally see them.

Hermione ran downstairs to greet her parents and only hoped that they would be in a good mood. Her mother was in the kitchen heating up water to make tea and she met her father on the stairs as he was heading to his room to change out of his work clothes into something more comfortable. "Hello mum. Did you have a good day at work?" She asked as she did everyday. "Good afternoon sweetie. Yes, your father and I both had a good day. I see you were busy today. The house is spotless." She said as she looked through the pantry for something to make for dinner. "Yeah, I was pretty busy." She said. "I was wondering if I could talk to you and dad over tea. I have something I want to ask you." Her mother stopped going through boxes in the pantry and looked at her daughter. "If it's to ask for your books back so soon the answer is definitely not. You were punished for a reason and we are not letting up on it this early." Her mother said sternly. "No, it's nothing of that sort. I know I deserved this punishment and I have accepted it and wouldn't dream of asking you to lift the ban." Hermione gave her best smile. Of course she knew she deserved the punishment, but that didn't mean she couldn't hate it. Books were practically her life.

"Robert dear, the tea is ready!" Hermione's mother called up the stairs to her husband. Shortly after her father came down into the sitting room and the three Grangers sipped their tea. "Robert, our Hermione has requested to talk to us. She wants to ask us something." Her father looked at her curiously raising one eyebrow. "We're all ears, sweetheart." Hermione took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. She knew she was being punished, but they hadn't said anything about not being able to see friends.

"Mum, Dad, as you both know when I went off to Diagon Alley the other day I met a boy named Draco. We have corresponded through a few letters and he has asked me to come back to Diagon Alley to meet for ice cream and get to know each other a little more before we go off to Hogwarts. I know this is what caused me to be punished in the first place, but I'm not going to run off this time. I'd like to have your permission this time." She rattled off this small speech without stopping to even take a breath. She hoped they wouldn't be angry with her for asking such a thing.

"Hermione dear." Her father began to speak. "I would love to see you go meet with your friend, but I don't want you going off to Diagon Alley without an adult present. You and this Draco fellow are both too young to be going off by yourself. Who knows what could happen to the-" "But dad," Hermione interrupted, "I wasn't planning on going alone. You and mum have the weekend off and I wanted one of you to come with me. Draco just wants to meet in the ice cream shop again. Please, he's my first friend in the wizarding world and I'd like to have someone when I get on the train in less than two weeks."

She hoped that they would agree, but the looks on their worried faces told her that she had a very small chance of this actually happening. Hermione's face fell just a little, the large grin turned to a small smile and her eyes lost the excited sparkle they had just held seconds before.

Her parents exchanged a glance and they seemed to be having a conversation without a single word being spoken out loud. Finally her mother broke the stare and said, "I don't see why we couldn't go with you on Saturday afternoon after lunch. Go let your friend know that we will be there Saturday around 1:30." Hermione couldn't suppress the small scream that escaped her mouth and as she jumped in the air. "THANKS MUM! THANKS DAD!"

She retreated upstairs and wrote a quick note to Draco. Dragon had returned from delivering her letter while she had been downstairs and soon he was off again with another letter.

_Draco,_

_Meet me at the ice cream shop Saturday at 1:30. I can't wait!_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione_

**A/N: Thank you for reading everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to write this chapter. This was my first week back in classes and I'm taking 3 online classes that I already have a lot of work to do for. So much reading I think my head will explode. Anyways, here is Chapter 4! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. There is so much to come and I'm so excited to write it. Reviews are very helpful to me. Let me know if there's something you want to see. I have a plan for the whole story, but I'm open to suggestions. Any other ships you want in here besides Dramione? Ok. I'm going to stop rambling now. Review review review. 10 galleons to each reviewer. I love you all! -Brooklyn**


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